Reluctantly Forward
by jcause
Summary: Set immediately after the events of the Season Three finale, Regina will have to pull together with others to solve the mystery of Storybrooke's deep freeze. Will Emma's involvement lead them to peace or a final show down? And what else might surface?
1. Chapter 1

Reluctantly Forward

Set immediately after the events of the Season Three finale, Regina will have to pull together with others to solve the mystery of Storybrooke's deep freeze. Will Emma's involvement lead them to peace or a final show down? And what else might surface?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was rattling around in my head for the last month and has made it hard to work on my other stories. So I'm setting it free and here it is. The characters belong to OUAT and are borrowed with great respect. Hope people enjoy where the characters take us. And yes, I'm a Swan Queen shipper so know that going in.

Reluctantly Forward

Chapter 1

Retreat is a word Regina Mills hates more than any other word in the dictionary. There are certainly times when, strategically speaking, circumstances call for removing one's self from a situation but, as a rule, Regina prefers to stand her ground and win well.

This was not one of those times.

Pain gripped her blackened heart as a family, that was not hers but might have been, was reunited. Marian was back and Robin, and his son, never looked happier.

Emma's groveling about her part in setting the reunion in motion was an echo of white noise. What Regina said to Snow and Charming's insufferable, interfering, do-gooder, daughter she would never be able to recall. Regina was far too busy keeping anger, and therefore her dark magic, from bubbling to the surface.

As the bell on the diner door echoed on her exit what Regina wanted to do was burn Granny's Diner to the ground. Instead, for her son's sake, she fought off the anger that wanted out, and moved down the steps and into the night.

She was finally redeemed in Henry's eyes and to lose that was worse than all the dark emotions that were swirling. He was the only anchor tethering her and without his belief in her redemption there would be little reason to live. So the diner would remain standing and she would learn from her vengeful past to move forward.

Pulling her jacket tighter, Regina turned onto the sidewalk, and kept going at as fast a clip as her heels would respectfully carry her. She was determined to maintain some dignity and be damned if she were to be seen leaving disgraced.

When she reached the corner that faced the tower she thought she saw tiny flurries in the light of the giant clock. That was, of course, impossible as it was far from winter in Storybrooke. There must have been a dust up of some kind causing the speckles.

The night air did seem colder than when she had entered the diner. Although, before her world shattered there could have been a blizzard and she wouldn't have cared. She had been happy and her heart had been warm and hopeful. Obviously, the chill was her emotions playing tricks. Perhaps it was a manifestation of the wall she felt going up around her again.

Blaming the exhaustion of fighting off her anger and the emptiness of her heart for what she had seen and felt, Regina ignored it and turned right, heading in the direction of home. Since she had arrived with Robin and his son, Roland, there was no choice but to walk. There was no way she was catching a ride with them in the midst of their family reunion. She was an outsider, an outsider whose car was parked at home.

She supposed she could have used magic to return but decided she needed the fresh air to calm herself. Had she zapped back, Regina worried that in that big empty house her temper would take over and the tiny part of her mind that allowed her mother's teachings to inform her actions before would start to take over again.

The moment she turned the corner off Main Street, Regina had heard the unmistakable voice of Emma Swan calling after her. No good would come from the two of them facing off right now. Regina couldn't trust herself to stay in check. So she picked up her speed, turning down a side alley and back up towards the park. Maybe going the long way back to the house would mean she could avoid a confrontation with the meddling blonde.

The wind picked up as Regina ran and she thought she could hear her mother, Cora, laughing at her. What was she thinking believing in some fairies version of soul mates and happily ever after? How had she allowed herself to fall prey to hope? Why had she let herself be vulnerable?

"Love is weakness," her mother's words echoed loudly in her head and she felt another wave of anger and darkness start to swell. Quickly pushing them away they were replaced by tears.

Turning onto the deserted side street, Regina noticed a few lamps were out. As she slowed back down to a walk, certain she had lost Emma, Regina made a mental note to have someone from the town's maintenance department replace the burnouts. Life might not have been perfect in Storybrooke but there was no point in having it lose its upstanding appearances just because she was having a terrible day. Fate was something it seemed she couldn't control, but safety in their little town was in her jurisdiction.

Being guided along by the moonlight and what lamps did work, Regina reached another street and took a left. A tree-lined sidewalk along the town park greeted her, as did local businesses that were locked up tight. Many of the owners she had seen at Granny's celebrating baby Charming. The park seemed a more serene side to walk on even if it was darker than the previous block so Regina crossed and headed along that side taking in the peace and quiet.

Opening her palm Regina conjured a ball of light to aid her along the way. She was shocked when it whirled white instead of the usual darker, purple. It brought the tiniest of tear to her eye but before she let her emotions wash over her again a rustling in the brush that lined the sidewalk, caught Regina's attention. "Show your self," she demanded as she raised her hand, preparing for a showdown.

A figure appeared, standing behind a gathering of small trees and bushes. "I'm sorry your majesty I didn't mean to startle you."

Raising the ball of light into the air until it illuminated the entire street Regina saw a young, beautiful, woman with dark hair, exotic features, wearing heavy clothing but with battle gear on, and a fierce determination about her. "Do we know one another?"

"We were never introduced but I am among Robin Hood's band?"

"A woman, among his men?" Regina questioned rather strongly. Suspicion would always be in her nature no matter how hard she tried to evolve.

The woman, obviously sensing the concern, explained. "I proved myself a worthy ally and was allowed to join his ranks."

"Bandits aren't known for inclusion. What was it you did to prove yourself worthy?"

"Rescued his son Roland from Peter Pan."

Regina nodded and dissipated the ball of light as memories of her own run in with Rumple's father washed over her. How far they had come since their time in Neverland.

"Mulan." The woman introduced herself with a shy nod.

"Regina, but you seem to know that already," she said in response.

"Of course. It's been nice seeing Robin so happy. The two of you make a strong pair."

Regina grimaced, "not any longer."

"Has something happened?" The woman asked, concern on her face and her hand instantly on the blade at her hip.

"His wife returned."

Surprise came across the younger woman's face but her hand remained on her blade. "His wife is dead."

"No, she is not." Regina offered honestly and more emotionally than she would have preferred.

The strong, dark haired, beauty stepped from behind the trees. Her body relaxing, her hand back at her side, and her acceptance of the new information clear; perhaps from the heartbreak in Regina's tone. "I see. I'm sorry."

"You have no need to be sorry."

"I do. As I said, you seemed happy with one another."

Regina needed the conversation to change directions. "I never saw you among his group. I would have remembered a woman bandit."

"I stay mostly to myself. I saw you many times though; both while keeping watch on the camp back home and while here in Storybrooke. At least until the witch made her move."

"That doesn't explain why I didn't take notice of you."

"To be frank, your mother was a brutal, ruthless, adversary and I didn't wish to risk making your acquaintance and facing equal difficulties. So I kept my distance."

The mention of Cora, combined with the battle gear the woman still wore over Storybrooke clothing, finally snapped the pieces of the puzzle into place. "Now I know who you are. You fought with Snow and Swan against my mother."

"I did."

"From the story I heard told, you fought very well."

"I am skilled with a sword." The answer was direct and purely factual without an ounce of pride in the woman's tone.

"Not usually something a woman from our land, or this one, is taught."

"Circumstances being what they were where I come from, it was the only way to keep my family safe."

"I admire your sense of honor."

"I would be nothing without it."

"I find it hard to believe that's true." Regina meant what she said. The young woman was a rare find. Most women where they came from accepted their lot in life and didn't step outside it. There was much more than honor in Mulan's DNA. "Why did I discover you here in the park?"

"I find camping amongst the trees more to my liking."

"Shouldn't you have been at the party?"

"I am not sure Snow White realizes I am in Storybrooke. I had the rather unfortunate experience of being turned into a flying monkey soon after arriving."

"I see."

"And although I am pleased to be myself again, I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. Your compassion is appreciated."

"Family is important."

"My sister and I didn't know one another."

"It's still important and you still suffered a loss whether you know that or not." Looking Regina over Mulan stopped speaking even though more words seemed to be hanging on the younger woman's tongue.

It read as compassion and it was appreciated. Dwelling in more mistakes her mother had made caused Regina misery and she was miserable enough at the moment without adding Cora's sins to the mix. "It sounds as if you know as much about that as I do."

"I have had my share." The younger woman said with a far off look about her. As quickly as the melancholy appeared it was gone. "We are from very different worlds and yet isn't it curious how certain things are so universal."

"It is quite curious..." Before Regina could finish her thought a powerful blast of cold air started to knock her from her feet and had it not been for the reflexes of the woman before her she would have been on the ground. Her breath hitched from the speed and temperature of the air as it whipped around and then in the blink of an eye they were pounded with ice and snow.

It was instinct, pure and simple, as Regina wrapped her hand around the arm that was holding her upright and zapped them away.


	2. Chapter 2

The weather had been unseasonably cool but pleasant and then, with no warning, the sharp pain of ice and snow striking her was followed by a complete loss of control. Instinct had kicked in and with it - MAGIC. Everything had spun and in a blink of an eye they were safe from the elements.

The second Regina's feet were on solid ground the warmth of her house enveloped her like a warm blanket. There was always something comforting about her home and it's perfectly styled, painstakingly picked out, interior design, but never more than when she was nearly turned into a human Popsicle.

As steady as Regina was, it seemed things were unsurprisingly, spinning for the woman with the sword, who was currently grabbing at the wall next to her to stay upright. Considering the warrior's likely upbringing this was her first experience traveling by teleport. A closer look at Mulan confirmed Regina's theory, that she wasn't used to the sensation, as the familiar blend of shock and nausea was glued to the younger woman's face.

"What was that?" Mulan manage to ask, as her head lifted some to meet Regina's eyes.

"An escape."

"Which I'm grateful for but I meant the weather."

"Whatever is going on it's not of this world." Regina offered as she moved quickly into the living room.

The young woman followed until she wobbled on her feet, managing to grab a seat before she fell down. "How do you know?"

Looking out the large picture window and into the backyard Regina could see nothing; not the lights she always left on, not her lawn, or her prized apple tree. There was only a fast moving swirling of white.

Regina had experienced her share of blizzards during her years in Storybrooke. When Henry was little there was an especially bad storm that had them stuck in the house for four days. Her son was still young enough to be happy about everything so they had embraced it. Days were spent in the kitchen baking together. They made blanket forts. There had been laughter and the playing of board games but storms like that one had been expected. This was not the case.

Regina needed to get to the bottom of what was going on. "It is the wrong time of year."

While sitting in the chair, the color was returning to Mulan's face. "I'm not familiar with, what I assume, is snow."

Regina reached into her pocket for her phone and began to dial. "More than that. In this world they call it a blizzard and we are months away from such a drastic shift in the weather. That is magic. Excuse me a moment."

On the second ring the call picked up. "Regina, I'm glad you called. Look, what happened, it was a mistake," the always optimistic Prince said before she cut him off.

"Charming, I don't need to chat about how exquisitely your daughter just torpedoed my life. I want to know if Henry is okay."

"He's chatting with Red and Hook. Do you want to speak to him?"

Relief washed over her. "No, I'm just glad he's alright."

"Why wouldn't he be," the usually clueless Prince had picked up on her tone as worry sprinkled over his words.

Regina glanced out the picture window again to the back of her yard and still couldn't see in the white out conditions. "What is happening outside where you are?" This should be fun, she thought.

She could hear Charming moving thru the diner and then the dinging of that forsaken bell. "Holy..."

"Exactly." Regina said loudly, in order to be heard over the wind whipping at the other end of the line.

"Where are you?" Charming shouted as she heard the bell again and assumed he slammed the door. If Regina didn't know any better she would have sworn he was concerned for her well-being.

"At my house. I managed to magic myself back as it struck."

"Is Emma with you?"

"She's not," Regina couldn't help but be glad for that fact but there was another emotion that was threatening to push its way forward. The blonde didn't deserve Regina's concern so she forced it away. "And wherever she is, she is still safer than if she were here with me."

"She went after you to talk."

"She never found me." Regina offered honestly as she glanced in the direction of the warrior.

"I've got to find her. There is no way she will find shelter in whatever this is." Parental worry, it was a tone Regina knew well.

Hearing the bell of the diner ring again Regina shouted into the phone. "Don't be foolish. If it is as bad out there as it is here, you won't make it down the steps. Go back inside. Emma has magic and I can't imagine her not using it to get somewhere safe."

The bell rang again and the door slammed loud enough to hear it over the phone. "Perhaps."

"Emma might be irresponsible but her survival instincts are strong. Besides someone needs to look after Henry while I try to figure this out."

"Whatever this is, magic is involved. It's too abrupt."

"Preciously. Try to locate Rumple. I'll work at my end to identify whatever this is."

"Your sister is gone and Rumple seemed happy for once, thanks to Belle. I didn't imagine it was him."

"I concur but he might know who has such magic and if they are a threat."

"The who or why this would happen?"

"Yes, although if I had to guess I would say Hook and your darling daughter brought back more than just Robin's true love. Ask the one handed Casanova what else they fiddled with back there and I will be in touch."

Hanging up the call, Regina was confident, that at the very least, Charming would keep Henry safe.

The carafe on the side table was calling her name. So, after placing her phone back into her jacket pocket, she crossed to it and poured herself a small glass of the brown liquor inside. It swirled some in the glass as she lifted it. "I'm being a terrible hostess. Would you like one?"

"I don't really drink. I find it dulls my senses."

"While tricking your body into thinking it's warming your insides." Regina explained as she put hers down and then poured a second glass anyway. Grabbing both she moved over and handed one to her guest.

Mulan stood, took what was offered with a nod, and began to sniff the offering.

"It's not poison if that's what you fear." Regina took a slow, deliberate, drink in front of her guest and then moved in the direction of the fireplace. Placing her glass on the mantel, she then threw three logs into the fireplace, and to save time, conjured a small fireball and gently placed it under the wood.

After a moment the logs began to smolder and crackle. Satisfied, Regina extinguished her hand, and reached again for the glass. Taking another sip of the liquor it ran slowly down her throat warming the path as it went. "Drink up."

The warrior glanced at the glass, shrugged, and downed the entire offering. It took only a split second for her to cough and shake from the strength of the booze.

Regina couldn't stop a short laugh. "It's better sipped."

The younger woman continued to do a tiny dance where she stood and then moved to take a seat near the fireplace. "Now you tell me. So you really don't know what that is outside?"

"Other than magic, no."

"Is there a way to track it?"

Regina was impressed at Mulan's instinct. "Perhaps."

"We should try."

"Not an easy task even for the most powerful."

"We can't just standby and do nothing," the determination in the younger woman's tone was very clear.

"In fact, we could."

"But you won't. Your son is too important to you to risk his life."

"They filled in the blanks for you when you fought by their side?"

"Emma and Snow filled us in, yes."

"Us?"

"Aurora was also among our group."

A tiny laugh couldn't help but again escape Regina as she imagined the cowardly princess she dealt with having to fight along side such battle ready allies. She vaguely remembered mention of her reaching Henry in the Netherworld. However, after having seen Aurora turned into a monkey, after betraying them in their world, it was the least of the punishments Aurora and her Prince deserved for being too little to late. "I don't imagine she was much help in the heat of battle against my mother."

Mulan suddenly grew very interested in the empty glass she was still holding. "She has a lot of heart."

Regina let the look go and continued on. "I suppose you all succeeded in stopping Cora so for that I applaud you."

"Why the issue with Emma?" The question was filled with confusion. "It seems the two of you are as much at odds with one another as I heard of when she and I last crossed paths."

"You sound surprised by that observation."

"Robin's men like to gossip and I had been led to believe you and Emma had made peace."

Regina took another drink. "Peace is a very strong word. More like an understanding that seems to have been complicated by recent events."

Mulan nodded. "The return of Robin's wife."

Regina noted it wasn't a question. "How did you...?"

"You implied it during that conversation."

"Right. I did, didn't I?"

"Having fought along side Emma, I can't imagine her actions were meant to cause harm especially if you indeed moved past your previous hostilities."

"The problem with Snow White and her brood is they don't consider that their actions have consequences. One does not travel through a time vortex and interfere with anything. The repercussions are too far reaching."

"Like the weather?"

"Like the weather."

"So you think this vortex thing that involved Emma is the cause of what's happening outside?"

"It's possible her and Hook did or said something that set things in motion."

"I had heard Hook was attempting to make good of himself."

"And I hear suspicion in your tone." Regina interjected.

"Hook has seemed to me to be the type to look out for Hook and only Hook."

Regina lifted her glass. "There we agree." Taking a final sip, in a way that could have been considered a toast, she placed the empty glass back on the mantel. "Whatever this is or how ever it got here what's happening outside is definitely magic. The question is what kind and who used it."

"So we have a quest."

Regina smiled despite herself. Mulan's enthusiasm reminded Regina of Henry and his secret adventures. She hadn't always been very supportive of them but looking back she couldn't have been more proud of him for following his instincts and now it seemed it was Regina's turn to have an adventure. "Indeed, I suppose we do."


	3. Chapter 3

Reluctantly Forward 3

The two women spent no more time chatting. The fireplace was extinguished and the glasses left in the sink. For what needed to be done they had to travel to the crypt, as that was where Regina had her books safely tucked away from prying eyes. The only way to get there was by magic so Regina offered some advice to the younger woman, grabbed hold of her arm, and sent them on their way.

The journey proved as unpleasant for Mulan as the first trip had.

"Sit." Regina instructed the moment they appeared in the dank crypt and the warrior's legs began to wobble.

Mulan barely managed a one-word response before doing as she was told and sitting in a very old, stone chair while Regina began her hunt for what they were looking for.

The crypt was a treasure trove of resources. Ancient magics, from every recorded land, from her mother's secret collection, which had been blended with newer catalogs of magics Regina had grown fond of during her quest for revenge. The only other person she knew of with more knowledge at their disposal was Rumple but with him off doing god knows what with Belle it was up to Regina and, she supposed, her newfound warrior to hunt for answers. If they were among the pages of the books it would take time to pinpoint, as Regina didn't know every page of every volume and what they were looking for was unique.

Elemental magic was rare and extremely powerful. It was the reason it took blending Regina's honed power and Emma's untapped magic to blackout the moon during their time in Neverland. Even at the height of her dark magic, Regina couldn't have handled that task alone, as Mother Nature wasn't easily manipulated because if she were the balance of the universe would tip in dangerous ways. Creating a fail-safe diamond was a walk in the park compared to what they were dealing with and if this blizzard was being cast by one person they could be facing something that would make Zelena seem like child's play.

Pulling books from trunks and shelves, stacks began to form. Certain volumes that she knew very well were cast aside as Regina could recite spells from those from memory. She made sure to grab the volumes from which she learned basic elemental magic theory and hoped something related to larger weather manipulation might emerge from the pages of books she never finished studying after exacting her revenge.

Regina even went to retrieve her most powerful possession of all, which held nothing but the darkest of magics. She stared at the lid for a long moment before brushing her hand against the lock to release it. The very act of lifting the book out of it's box caused her hands, arms, and eventually entire body to tingle with power. The memories it started to evoke made her breathing began to slow but her heart race. Panic gripped Regina and she dropped the book with a thud back into it's box and as quickly as she could slammed the lid and relocked it with a quick swipe of her hand.

The noise must have startled Mulan who jumped to her feet. "Can I be of some help?"

"No. I've got it. Sit and catch your breath."

Regina began to calm when a horrible sense of shame washed over her. All the horror she had brought down on the citizens of the Enchanted Forest because of such misplaced anger. The death of her first love and her mother's calculated manipulation had dropped her right into Rumple's plan to set his own quest in motion. That very book had helped create the tipping point, which had brought her to this very moment in time, once again alone. There was no way she could open the pages of that volume and expect to keep her progress of denying dark magic intact. The book would remain where it was no matter the potential answers it held within it's pages. There would just have to be another way.

Other books were instead collected so that by the time the final book was placed on a small table the color had fully returned to Mulan's face and they were ready to begin. Since the warrior wasn't versed in any magic languages Regina gave her a pile of books in English and Olde English and a list of words for her to look for in them. If she found any of the words she was to show the book to Regina immediately. The rest of the volumes were left to Regina to decipher, as there was little chance Mulan could be of any help.

In silence, a warrior and a queen looked for answers. Mulan carefully running her eyes along the pages while Regina waved her hands over each book in a more efficient and magical search. After getting past about four volumes Regina started to feel the familiar prickle of power that she had grown to enjoy more than anything else. It was a dangerous line to be walking but she kept reminding herself this magic wasn't the dark power she had locked back away. The tiny pull was something she could embrace. It was merely the darkest of magics she couldn't go near. This was safe like what she had tried to teach Emma Swan to harness. For her son, for herself, and, if she allowed herself to admit it, for the town she had grown to appreciate, she couldn't let her issues with power cloud the need for a remedy to what was going on.

"Any luck?" Mulan asked as she placed her second book onto the completed pile.

Taken out of her thoughts Regina looked up at the young woman. "No, so far, nothing. You are certain nothing has been missed in what you're checking?"

"I'm certain. I was very careful to check each page twice for the words you highlighted."

"Disappointing."

"It's hard not to worry when you say it like that."

"These books represent some of the most powerful magics in all the worlds. For nothing to present yet means we are likely facing something or someone unrecorded and very powerful. So, yes, there is cause for concern."

"If there ends up being nothing in any of these where else might we find answers?"

"Rumpelstiltskin might know something, which is why I have Charming looking for him. The only other place we could try is the town library. Although I can't imagine anything worth our time would be among that collection. So short of running into whatever is causing this we would be at a standstill."

"We should explore all the possible avenues."

Regina couldn't help but notice it wasn't a question but a very firm statement. "I suppose but we will never make on foot. I will have to take to the library and then return here to finish checking the last batch of these books myself. You can likely make one more trip without causing too much harm to yourself but two would require you spending a night in the hospital. If we go, you will stuck there for a while or at least until whatever that is outside has stopped."

Mulan took a deep breath and steadied herself as if she were about to go into battle with sword raised high. "Let's do it."

"This many times is a lot, even for me. What you felt before will pale in comparison to how you will feel after this trip."

"If it will help the town I will manage." Mulan said standing.

"Okay," Regina stood, walked around the table, and took Mulan's arm again with one hand. In the other hand held the book she had been checking, but hadn't finished scanning with her magic. The moment the two touched a strange, protective, feeling towards the young woman came over Regina. She imagined this was what compassion felt like. "Remember to breathe."

Mulan nodded, took in a deep breath, and in the time it took her to exhale they were in the very dark and very cold library.

Regina effortlessly waved the hand that she had been holding Mulan with and a ball of light, like the one Regina had used to find her way home, appeared and illuminated the inside of the Clock tower library. Unfortunately, with nothing to help her stand, Mulan crashed to the floor and onto her knees, the effects of another transport obvious.

It had been a careless misstep to let go of the warrior, as the lack of balance was likely the least of the side effects. "Slow breaths. Concentrate on where your limbs are touching solid ground. The sickness will disappear as you relax."

Mulan nodded very slowly but said nothing as she then lowered her head to the ground along with the rest of her body.

Many years ago, Regina had been equally unaccustomed to transport magic so she knew from experience it was best to give Mulan some space. Coaching her through it too hard would likely cause her to fixate and make it worse. Rumple on many occasions had tormented Regina with tough love as he taught her those skills. This wasn't a lesson, it was a mission and Mulan deserved the time to recover.

The sound in the library was an echo of the wind and snow assaulting the structure. It would be a miracle if the power in town was still working but it was worth checking out. Using a ball of magic light to find her way to the far wall Regina flicked the light switch. As luck would have it the power was still on so she extinguished the magic and took in the dusty, old, clock tower library. Unless Rumple had hidden some of his books in Belle's protection, Regina wasn't very confident they would find themselves any answer among the shelves but as there weren't many left in the crypt that Mulan could read it wasn't a terrible plan.

Mulan looked up from where she was laying on the ground. "Could you help me up?"

"There is no hurry."

"I'm feeling better."

Once again the warrior's strength presented itself and Regina was impressed. Most would have been on that floor for well over an hour. Placing the book, she had transported with her onto a table, Regina moved to the young woman and offered her a hand. "Go slow."

Doing as she had been told Mulan rose to her feet with Regina's help. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The warrior smiled. "Where should I begin?"

"Take your time. Sit a moment. I shall see if there are any magical resources among this collection." Just as Regina was about to cast a spell to identify any books of magical origin in the room there was a loud, hysterical banging on the door to the library.

Without hesitation Mulan ran towards the sound before Regina could get her to consider a possible reason for the banging, like perhaps danger. In one fluid motion Mulan grabbed the handle and whipped the door open. A blast of ice-cold wind and snow billowed into the room, the noise from outside coming in with the blizzard conditions. Weather wasn't the only thing that entered the library though, as did a stumbling figure. Mulan tried to catch the person but the momentum and the velocity of the gusts were too much to counter act and instead they both fell hard to the floor with a loud crash; the warrior's sword clanging on the ground echoing over the deafening wind.

Regina whipped her hand in the air and her magic began instantly fighting a violent tug of war against the wind and snow. The door tried to obey but the blizzard had other ideas. Fighting against the elements, as they struck her body hard, Regina gave more to her efforts, moving slowly step by step towards the icy assault. Finally after much magic had been expelled the door slammed shut.

Standing a short distance from the exit, Regina could hear the wind striking the building harder like a child having a temper tantrum for having not gotten what it wanted. Regina, whose hands and arms were tingling from the magic expelled and whose heart was racing, struggled to catch her breath. The day was getting worse by the second.

Eventually calmed down, Regina turned her attention to the crumbled pile of humanity on the ground. Mulan was untangling herself and as she did the red leather jacket and blonde hair of the other figure came into view. The source of the banging was now unmistakable and had come from the one person Regina didn't want to have to deal with right now. She was exhausted enough without adding Emma Swan to the equation.

Mulan turned Emma over and then abruptly pulled her into her arms and started to frantically pull the jacket away from her body. Her hands began to rub the length of Emma's arms under the sweater she wore. It was immediately clear that the blonde had taken a beating. Her face was pale white and her lips nearly blue.

Without thought Regina sprung into action. Her hands rose into the air. Light and heat began to radiate through them causing a glowing aura to appear. Slapping both of her hands hard against the bare, cold, pale skin of Emma's cheeks, Regina willed life force energy to flow through her and to the unconscious, frozen, blonde. "Damn it, Swan you have magic."

Regina supposed trying to save Emma Swan's life was what her therapist, Doctor Hopper, would call progress.


	4. Chapter 4

Reluctantly Forward 4

As Regina sat on her knees in silence, her hands providing the medical aid Emma desperately needed, her mind wandered over how far they had come. There had been a time when Regina would have celebrated Emma's death but, even after everything that had happened earlier in the evening, that time was long past.

Regina had accepted Emma as Henry's other mother and although she would never admit it, she respected Emma a great deal. The beautiful blonde was head strong, resourceful, and even with the complicated way she had grown up, surprisingly loyal to almost a fault. Perhaps had Regina been born with some of Emma's inner strength she wouldn't have fallen into Rumple's grand scheme so many years ago or currently find herself upset over losing a chance with a man after only a few short weeks spending time with him.

Glancing down at Emma, anxiety over her wellbeing started to dissipate as the color returned to her face and hands. The crisis had been averted. Regina noted that warmth was starting to be shared instead of it all being directed towards the blonde and a magical vibration was starting to form where their skin touched. It had been a close call but they seemed out of the woods.

The first sign that Emma was waking up was a small flutter of her eyes, followed by a small movement in her hand, and then panic as the blonde attempted to pull away from Mulan's grasp. The younger woman tried to keep her still but it was Regina who eased Emma's nerves with just the tiniest of soothing magic that she added to the heat she was already providing.

"What happened?" Emma mumbled and then took a slow deep breath releasing the tension she had at first displayed. Opening her eyes, she struggled to sit up slowly but pain, and Regina's hands on her cheeks, stopped her.

"Lay still," Regina demanded, softly.

Eyes that were not quite blue but not quite hazel bore into Regina's. "Where I am? What happened?"

Regina knew what she should have said but something about the proximity to Emma and the events earlier in the evening fueled the sarcastic quip that escaped her lips. "You decided the best place to experience a blizzard was in it."

The look Emma gave was fast but the reply, although labored, was faster. "Says the woman who is sporting a pencil skirt in a snow storm."

The retort was a sure sign Emma was better. Regina removed her hands from the blonde's face and stood. "If it wasn't for me you would have frozen to death."

Mulan leaned forward some so she could carefully prop Emma up enough to take in the room. "Your skin was ice and you stopped breathing. Had it not been for Regina, you would have died."

A reaction to the familiar crossed Emma's tired face as she turned her head slowly to the side. "Mulan?"

"Hello, Emma."

"It's been a while."

"It has."

"Can we get past the pleasantries, please?" Regina interrupted. "There is a blizzard outside that shouldn't be there and I would like to get to the bottom of it before the whole town freezes to death."

Emma turned back to Regina, surprised. "This wasn't you?"

"No!" Regina shouted over the pounding storm outside. Frustrated, Regina walked to the table where she had left the book she had brought with her. Silently, she reflected on her day. "Of all the people to bang on the door needing shelter it had to be her. Perhaps today is karma wanting me to pay up for my past."

Emma interrupted Regina's thoughts. "I just thought maybe with the whole..."

Picking up and slamming the book onto the table with a bang. Regina whipped back towards the blonde unable to keep her exasperation from showing. "It wasn't me."

Mulan eyed the other women curiously. "She and I were together by the park when it blew in. Regina took us to safety."

Emma attempted to stand. "Mulan, can you help me to my feet?"

Mulan obliged.

"It's quite a storm." Emma said as she slowly flexed her hands a few times. They were very bruised, probably from the number she did on them while banging on the door, but the fact she could move her fingers was a good sign. Based on her condition when she arrived severe frostbite could have been a real worry.

"And no thanks to your magic you survived it." Regina offered flippantly. Emma, at the very least, had enough skills to get out of the blistering snow but instead froze. It seemed the lessons Regina had been giving her were a waste.

"It's not every day a giant blast of attic cold slams into me. I panicked. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay. What if Henry had been with you?"

"If Henry had been with me I wouldn't have panicked but is seems while chasing after you, I did." Emma blurted out honestly as she inched her way to a chair with Mulan's help.

"What? Did guilt cloud your mind?" Regina challenged.

"I saved a woman's life. I can't feel guilty about that."

"And yet?"

"What are we up against?" Emma rather dramatically pointed in the direction of outside putting an end to the discussion of Marion's return.

"I had hoped you could enlighten us since you and your new boyfriend likely brought back all sorts of fun things."

"You can't place this on me."

"Oh, I can and I will, until such time that another explanation presents itself."

Emma grabbed the table next to her for balance. "You really are..."

"What?" Regina said taking determined steps in Emma's direction. "Do tell Ms. Swan, what am?"

"Unforgiving."

"Compared to my previous efforts against your mother over her betrayal I would say I'm evolving well. If I were unforgiving, you would be dead." The words spilled out of Regina, her heart racing, and then a horrible sense of fear and something else followed, causing Regina to take a few slow steps back.

The truth smacked Emma squarely across the face and took the fight out of her as well. "Mulan, can I have my jacket please?"

"Sure." Mulan replied. The warrior looked like she wanted to be anywhere but trapped in the library.

Regina knew the feeling.

"Thanks." Taking the jacket, Emma reached into her pocket. "Damn, I must have dropped my phone."

"Your parents are looking after Henry while keeping everyone at the party inside the diner."

"Thanks for checking in with them."

A tiny tug of something that might be considered kindness caused Regina to reach into her own jacket, pull out her phone, and drop it on the table next to Emma. Regina then backed away a good distance. "Call your father. He was worried."

"Thank you." Emma said while looking at Regina curiously. She then made the call.

"You're welcome," Regina spoke the words to the air although Mulan seemed to notice and smiled at her weakly. There was something on the younger woman's mind but she remained silent.

As Emma made the call, Mulan moved to Regina's side. "You saved her life."

Regina only nodded.

"People have under estimated your capacity for compassion."

Regina nodded again. Not comfortable with the topic at hand she turned the conversation to Mulan. "Your actions were quick but might have been careless had the banging been something dangerous."

"I know what a desperate need for help sounds like."

"You have very honed skills. Impressive."

"I've learned how to survive."

"It shows."

"Thank you. So, does the plan here remain the same?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, we will search out any books of magic origins."

"And what of Emma?"

"We should watch her closely in the event she has suffered any less obvious damage. After we figured this all out she might still need medical attention."

Emma slowly approached and handed the phone back to Regina. "My father told me to thank you."

"I did it for Henry."

Emma avoided a sarcastic retort. "What's the plan?"

Mulan took the lead. "We are trying to see if there are any resources that might pinpoint what is causing the storm."

"Did you check your books?"

Regina managed only a small eye roll. "Most of them, but we had thus far come up with nothing and run out of volumes Mulan could assist with. We thought we would rule out the possibility of Rumple hiding some of his more powerful books here."

"In Belle's library?" Emma asked. "The whole town comes here."

Mulan interjected. "Making it a place no one would think to look for something of value."

Emma nodded at the logic. "So the books?"

"Yes." Regina raised her hand into the air, concentrated on highlighting any books with magic origins or properties, and waved her hand in a specific sweeping motion.

A surprisingly large number of books glowed yellow, fourteen in all. Mulan and Regina collected the glowing volumes and brought them to the large table in the far side of the room while Emma took a seat.

The books were again divided based on the source language, which gave Regina most of the work. After a long while the search came up empty, even in the volume Regina had brought with her.

"So these books are a dead end." Emma said closing her last one.

"Seems they are." Regina responded doing the same.

"What else do we know about what is happening out there?" Mulan asked and then turned to Emma. "What do you remember about when the storm arrived?"

Emma shrugged. "I went after Regina to talk and you must have used magic to get away cause I lost you. So I kept walking in the direction of your house thinking I would catch you there. That was when I started to notice the temperature dropping."

Regina took a couple of the discarded books and started to place them back on the shelves where they had found them. She was smirking to herself at Emma's assumption magic had been used to escape the former bounty hunter. "The same happened near the park."

"So the scope is quite wide." Mulan deduced.

Regina nodded. "We can assume it's at least all of Storybrooke."

Emma nodded as well. "Next thing I know I'm getting pelted with ice, snow, and bitter cold wind. I ran back in the direction I came from but after a short while the visibility was zero. I wasn't sure where I was and I just kept getting colder and colder. All I wanted to do was sleep."

A surprising chill ran through Regina that she didn't allow herself to dwell on.

As Mulan began to assist in returning the books to the shelves, she turned back. "Had you done so, death would have followed you."

"Which is why I kept looking for shelter." Emma replied with a surprising tone of humor.

"How did you reach here?" Mulan asked curiously.

"Sheer luck? I was tracing a path along the buildings, banging on doors and windows hoping that someone was around to let me in. When I reached the clock tower I had hoped the roof on the porch would protect me some from the elements. That's when I noticed the tiniest of light suddenly coming from the windows. So I followed the wood around with my hands until I felt the doorknob. It was locked so a banged as hard as I could."

"So after all that, we know nothing new..." Regina said as she retrieved three more volumes.

"Listen." Mulan interrupted.

"I don't hear anything," Emma said.

"The wind has stopped." Mulan shoved the final book in her hand back where it came from and ran to the door, opening it. "It's all stopped."

Regina deserted the stack in her hand, placing them down on an open shelf, and made her way to the door and looked out. Sure enough the white out conditions had stopped. The street lamps were illuminating about three feet of the cold powder which was piled on top of roads, cars, mailboxes, everything. Storybrooke was strangely, beautifully, covered in dense ice and snow. Memories of playing with a young Henry in past blizzards filled Regina's heart.

"What now?" Mulan asked.

Emma stood from the chair slowly and made her way to the door. "We head to Granny's and make sure everyone is alright."

Regina didn't respond but instead walked out of the library and trudged off towards the diner using her magic to plow a path since her weather inappropriate outfit, that Emma had pointed out, would have made the walk nearly impossible.

Arriving there before the others, Regina prepared for what was inside and then opened the door where that infuriating bell greeted her.


	5. Chapter 5

Reluctantly Forward 5

The moment the door opened all eyes were on Regina Mills and she didn't much care for it. Lifting her head higher Regina tried to ignore the complicated energies in the room and stick to the task at hand.

"Regina," Snow White said as she moved with the baby in her arms towards the door. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Regina said "But the blizzard has stopped. I would suggest everyone find somewhere close by to sleep tonight. The roads are going to be impassible."

"Just great," Leroy groused from across the room as he moved to grab a seat next to Grannie at a table. "You got any vacancies?"

Grannie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Leroy."

"Where is Emma?" Snow asked, her concern very evident.

Before Regina could answer the bell on the door to the diner rang and Emma entered, being helped along by Mulan.

David bolted towards his daughter and helped her inside. "Are you okay? You don't look okay?"

"I'm fine." The blonde said with a weak smile. "Thanks to Regina."

"What did she do?" Hook said as he moved in Regina's direction. His body language was far from friendly.

"I saved her life." Regina offered pointedly, not budging from where she stood.

Hook kept on his approach and Mulan started to move in order to intervene.

"She did so calm down." Emma said in an effort to call off the pirate's attack.

Hook took a step back. Mulan stood down and Robin smiled from his place next to his wife and son.

Regina tried her best to ignore the family portrait. "Maybe the real question is what did you do while taking a detour through time?"

"Don't look here." Hook said defensively. "The only addition is sitting back there with her family."

The pointed way he said it was meant as a verbal slap. Instead of it upsetting her, Regina imagined the many ways she could end the pirate's life. Before her ideas got especially creative, the kitchen door swung open and Red, followed by Henry, entered carrying trays of food.

"Here we go." Henry announced and then noticed the new arrivals. "You're back!"

The young man dropped his tray, came bolting around the counter and into Regina's arms. His eyes bounced between his two moms. "I was worried about you guys."

"We're okay kid." Emma said from where her father had helped her to grab a seat on a stool.

"You both don't look okay," he replied as his eyes danced between both women. The boy, actually young man, had always been too observant for his own good and it seemed had noticed not only Emma's weakened state but also clued into Regina's mental state.

"She's recovering well." Mulan said to the boy while her eyes suddenly became glued over Regina's shoulder.

Following the warrior's glance Regina saw Aurora standing just outside the swinging kitchen door with a tray in her hand. The princess looked elated. "Mulan, is that you?"

The warrior, on the other hand, looked sad. "Hello, Aurora."

"I can't believe it's you."

After putting the small tray down, Aurora followed Henry's path around the counter and towards the new arrivals. The very pregnant princess captured Mulan in a giant hug and although the young woman returned the welcome there was something behind her eyes that Regina couldn't identify but looked a lot like heartbreak. Regina noticed an eyebrow rise from Red and a warm smile from Snow that only reinforced something was up.

Walking away from Regina and over to Emma, Henry gave this other mother a hug. "So what was that outside? It's not winter yet."

Leroy put down his mug, which was likely not filled with hot chocolate. "Some kind of fluke storm probably. We keep reading about how this world is doomed."

"No," Red said before her grandmother did. "Storms have a distinct smell but so does magic. That was magic."

"Could you trace the source?" Emma asked.

"With the wind as it was, not likely."

Henry looked at Emma curiously. "What do you think it is?"

"Don't know kid. But your mom here will figure it out."

Regina didn't want to appreciate Emma's comment but did. "First, we all need a good night's sleep," she said as started to leave. Regina had enough of this town for one night. Henry was safe which was all she cared about.

David stepped forward into the room. "Should we meet back here first thing and form a plan?"

"Maybe it's over." Hook offered.

"In this town something that big doesn't just happen and disappear." Emma reminded everyone. "It will return. Stuff like this always does."

"Exactly," Regina said as she opened the diner door. "Leave me to the hunt for who or what is doing this. The rest of you have a town to prepare for when it inevitably happens again. Good night."

"Mom?"

Regina turned. "Yes, Henry."

"Could I go with you?"

Regina looked up at Emma hoping the blonde would do one thing right tonight.

There was the tiniest of nods from the blonde. "Hey, kid. I think your mom needs some rest. Stick with me again tonight?"

"Okay."

Regina couldn't stop herself from giving a small smile of thanks to Emma and then left. As the door began to close Regina thought she heard Henry say he was worried about her. It filled her heart and broke it at the same time.

As Regina reached the street and considered by what means she wanted to go home, the bell to the diner rang yet again. Not turning, Regina began to walk along the path she had plowed with her magic.

"Regina, may I have a moment." The younger warrior asked as she moved to catch up.

Since it wasn't Emma, Regina stopped and turned. "Of course."

"I heard what was said in there but I would like to continue helping you. If you will let me."

She wasn't sure if it was the polite formality or the lost look in Mulan's eyes but Regina found she couldn't deny the young woman's request. "Having a warrior at my side seems the only sensible thing to do."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Mulan turned to leave as Regina raised her hands above her head to transport back to the mansion and then stopped. "Mulan."

The woman turned back as she got just past the archway to Grannie's patio, which at the moment was buried under many feet of snow.

"I can't have you dying of frostbite. You will stay at the house with me until this situation resolves itself. There are plenty of empty rooms."

"Regina, that's not necessary."

"Perhaps not but it seems the most, what did you call it, compassionate thing to do." The warrior smiled as Regina began walking in the direction of home. "It's not far."

When they reached the end of the path Regina had made in the snow, Mulan spoke. "You should transport yourself. Just tell me where I'm going. There is no point in both of us walking through all this."

"I find it quite beautiful. Besides if we walk I can melt some of this ice and snow as we go. It will make the streets more passible if we are lucky enough to avoid another blast before morning."

Regina waved her hands, conjuring a fireball, and pushed the heat towards the snow. A path formed leading them back to the mansion. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

...

After retrieving Mulan some comfortable cloths to sleep in and showing her where she could change, Regina headed downstairs to make herself a cup of tea.

As Regina turned on the kettle, a knock at her front door startled her. Who would be coming to the house at this hour? Putting down the teacup, she moved out of the kitchen, through the living room, and to the front door. Despite her suspicious nature she opened the door without looking first.

Standing on her front step was Emma Swan. "Wanted to see if I could manage it without the pressure of a blizzard. Not bad, huh? Transported and didn't end up landing myself between two pieces of wood or something. Although, man, I'm dizzy."

"Gold star and now goodnight, Ms. Swan." Regina said as she started to shut the door.

Emma's hand reached up to stop it. "Are we back to that?"

"It seems we are."

"Look Regina, I never meant..."

"You never do and yet you have a gift for torpedoing my life. So you should keep your distance and go back and look after our son."

"My parents are with him. When I left he was rocking his uncle to sleep. I will never get used to that."

"Perhaps you should go join them so maybe some day you can."

"Can't we talk?"

"I'm not in the mood for chitchat." Regina tried to keep all her complicated emotions in check. "For once, just leave me alone."

"Okay, for now," Emma said as she released her hand from the door. "But we will talk."

Instead of shutting the door something compelled Regina to speak. "Why can't you leave well enough alone?"

"Cause we've become friends."

"You're overstating."

"You saved my life."

"I did that for Henry."

"I don't believe that and neither do you."

"Don't assume you know what I believe. Can't you just leave well enough alone? We have bigger things to worry about than your need to have me accept your apology."

"I'm not apologizing for bringing her back but I'm sorry if you were hurt in the process."

"Please just go and leave me be." And with that Regina finished shutting the door in Emma Swan's face.

Her hand resting there for a moment, Regina took a very deep breath and then started back towards the kitchen when she caught sight of Mulan on the staircase. She was wearing a pair of Regina's sweatpants and a t-shirt. Both were too big on her.

"I didn't mean to ease drop. I was trying not to interrupt."

"It's fine. Would you like some tea?"

"If it's not any trouble."

"No trouble." Regina said trying to be civil. "I will meet you in the other room."

The kettle began to whistle as Regina entered the kitchen. Pulling out another cup and teabag Regina poured the hot water and headed back into the living room with the drinks.

"The alliance you two have is a curious one." Mulan said from her place on the sofa.

Taken aback Regina handed over the tea with eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry," Mulan replied as she took the mug. "I tend to be very blunt."

Taking a seat Regina was politely dismissive. "We have a complicated relationship."

"I suppose complicated is better than at each other's throats."

Regina lifted the cup to her lips, blew the hot liquid and took a sip. "We've done that as well."

Mulan mirrored Regina's enjoyment of the tea and fell silent.

Wanting to make sure the conversation remained dropped Regina turned things towards Mulan. "I noticed you greeted Aurora like someone who you would have preferred not to see. I thought you were friends?"

"We are." Mulan said concentrating on the cup. That was twice now that the mention of Aurora evoked heavy concentration on objects instead of answers.

"And yet when you saw one another, that wasn't what I got from the reunion."

"To use your word, it's complicated."

"Phillip?"

"What of him?" Mulan's reaction screamed defensive.

"As I heard it told, you traveled with him for a long time as he searched for her. I imagine after growing so close to him it complicates the friendship with his wife."

Mulan sat frozen in place, the look on her face similar to other times throughout the evening when it looked like she wanted to speak but hadn't.

The silence was thick in the room. Regina blew on her hot tea and then took another sip.

"It's not Phillip." Mulan said in almost a whispered tone.

"Excuse me."

"It's not about Phillip."

The puzzle piece locked in place and Regina didn't need any more information but she suspected the young warrior needed to share so Regina waited.

"I'm not exactly sure when it happened but she means the world to me."

"And yet?"

"It can never be."

"Have you told her?" Regina asked.

"Of course not."

"I find it hard to imagine you powerless."

Shame washed over the young woman's face.

"Someone as strong as you frozen by a confession?"

"The same way a queen is running from the person she feels she's meant to be with."

Regina placed the cup down on the table in front of her. "What does that mean?"

Confusion crossed Mulan's face. "Why so cross if the return of Robin's wife doesn't matter? I wouldn't think someone with your power would let anyone stand in her way."

"I don't operate that way any longer. I'm redeemed."

"And scared?"

From anyone else, Regina would have banished them instantly but from Mulan the question had an innocence she appreciated. "I have my reasons." The words were as vague as they were honest.

"And I have my reasons for keeping my feelings secret."

"Fair." Regina said drinking more tea.

"Do you love him?"

The question jolted Regina. "Excuse me?"

"Do you love him?

Regina tried to deflect. "Do you love her?"

"Yes." The speed at which the warrior spoke her truth made Regina nervous and made Mulan bold. "You didn't answer my question."

"You're correct. I didn't."

The young woman looked at Regina with compassion. "If I were you I might ask myself why are you so mad at Emma."

"Cause it's easier than being mad at myself and if you ever repeat that."

Mulan nodded. "The heart is complicated."

With a far off look Regina picked up the cup and drank her tea.


	6. Chapter 6

Reluctantly Forward 6

Memories ran through Regina's mind as she turned the pages of the books in front of her. Many years ago it had started with Rumple forcing her to learn page after page under his tutelage but as time went on she began to hungrily devour each word as they fueled her quest for revenge. Regina had heard it said that music held the key to unlocking memory but so did the magics captured in the pages of her collection.

Nursing her morning cup of coffee she was without Emma to frustrate or Mulan to ask questions and was instead awash with the atrocities of her dark past. Almost every page represented a moment where she had destroyed a life or, even in the most innocent of spells, where she cast something for her own advancement. Something like a stuffed toy rabbit for a child wasn't exactly a kindness when it was made to torment the child's parent.

Regina's past was filled with anger and a powerful loneliness and the emotions were as vivid today as they were then. Although she was making quick time with the remaining volumes in no way was she enjoying the walk down memory lane.

She should have been asleep but when she found herself awake before daybreak Regina transported back to the crypt to finish the stack of books she hadn't checked. As she closed the last one there was still no sign of any answers.

Glancing at the locked box she fought the urge to see if the darkest book in her collection had answers. There was no telling what kind of hold that volume might have over her especially with Regina's currently complicated state of mind so she left it alone.

Placing the other volumes back where they belonged Regina tried to concentrate on anything but Emma's thoughtless altering of the past. After all, it was the blonde who was obviously responsible for what they all now faced. The white knight had saved a life but in doing so had caused a ripple in the fabric of time. Emma may have been smart enough to realize leaving Marion in the other timeline was a recipe for disaster but Regina's romantic path wasn't the only thing at risk thanks to Marion's rescue. The minutest altering could have ramifications that far exceeded Robin and his son having their family reunited.

Regina had no memory of the woman as she had been on a bloody rampage during the time prior to the casting of the first curse. So who was to say if Marion was executed? Perhaps she had managed to escape even without Emma's interference and if that had been the original outcome the timeline was now disrupted. Or what if she was executed but somehow that execution started a chain of events that without it was now causing a different ripple through time? The possibilities were endless and all likely recipe for disaster. The return of Robin's wife could be at the heart of a future event that was currently taking shape like for instance all of Storybrooke facing a magical blizzard. As Red pointed out magic was in play and Regina didn't believe in coincidences. No matter how much they denied it, Emma and Hook were responsible for what the town was facing whether it was because of the savior's actions with Marion or something else that hitched onto their return home.

This was all Emma's fault and Regina couldn't have been more disappointed.

As the words formed in Regina's mind the realization stopped her in her tracks. Disappointment over something Emma had done was far too intimate a reaction to be having to the blonde's actions. Why was it that Henry's other mother always managed to get under her skin so easily?

Not wishing to answer her own question and having finished picking up the books, Regina wasn't interested in sticking around to be tempted by the dark volume. It was time to go home and begin searching elsewhere.

The second she transported back to her bedroom she was hit with the smell of breakfast. She smiled despite herself at the thought the warrior had cooked and then immediately worried that based on the way Mulan had been living that the food would make Granny's diner seem five star.

Going downstairs and into the dining room Regina was shocked to find Mulan having breakfast with Henry and Emma. Standing in the archway, Regina wasn't sure if she was more excited to see her son or more angry at the sight of the savior.

"Morning," Henry said before he shoved a forkful of pancake into his mouth.

Setting down the coffee mug in her hand, Emma looked at Regina sheepishly. "The kid wanted to see you. He had a theory he thought you should hear."

"Not without coffee," Regina blurted out as she crossed in the direction of the kitchen immediately after throwing a look of disapproval to Mulan.

Pouring the hot, dark, liquid into a mug Regina took a long moment to compose herself before joining the others. "Go ahead Henry," Regina said as she re-entered the dining room and took a seat.

"Mom said that you weren't having luck with your books but you were still hoping to find clues."

"I just finished checking the rest of them. There was nothing describing anything that has the power to control the weather on such a grand scale."

"What if maybe there isn't a spell in those books cause this person comes from somewhere unexplored?" Henry asked.

"My collection comes from many lands."

Mulan looked up from her meal. "But maybe not all of them. I didn't, for instance, notice anything written in my native language."

"True." Regina said.

Henry continued on. "This got me to thinking about Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz and I wondered, could the clues you need be rooted in an unfamiliar fairytale? So I looked online and found this." Henry handed over his iPad and pointed at the screen, "The Snow Queen."

"Who?" Regina said taking the tablet.

"That's what I said," Emma interrupted. "But it's all there. The kid could be onto something."

"There are thousands of stories that people don't know. I remember after Snow and Mom returned I had to look up Mulan," the boy added. "Sorry."

Mulan smiled at him. "It's alright, Henry. It's the same way the writings of my ancestors aren't among your mother's collection. My people are protective of their history and their magics."

"Exactly," Emma interjected. "We could come across anyone not just the most famous of fairytale characters. Where Tinkerbelle and Peter Pan I knew, Zelena wasn't exactly someone I recall from Oz at least not by that name."

The memories of nearly losing Henry to the evil man-child and how a sister she never knew she had tried to destroy everything sent a chill up Regina's spine. "Okay. So who is this Snow Queen?"

After a breakdown of The Snow Queen's story courtesy of Henry's abridged information, Regina wasn't convinced but she also wasn't willing to completely dismiss her son's theory and neither were the other two women. So after the dining room was cleaned up and the dishes were washed it was back to Belle's library to see if they could locate a more complete telling of the Snow Queen story or any other mention of her among that collection.

Despite the large piles of snow covering the roadside the weather was back to a seasonally appropriate crisp early fall day. Many in the town were out shoveling sidewalks and helping their neighbors with driveways and the digging out of cars while wearing light jackets and jeans. It didn't feel like a battle of some kind was coming as Regina witnessed some of the adults laughing with one another and lots of neighborhood children playing in the snow.

The children playing eventually included Emma and Henry as a snowball fight broke out half way to the library. It had been Henry who had made the first move. It had hit Emma square in the back and exploded, as snowballs did. Regina couldn't help but enjoy her son's enthusiasm and the fact that Emma was the victim of the cold attack. Of course the daughter of Snow White wasn't going to leave the strike unanswered and very quickly snowballs were flying everywhere and even Mulan had been pulled into their game.

It wasn't until they were within a couple blocks of the library the game escalated into an all out snowball war with Regina the new center of attention. A look between Henry and Emma made it clear Regina was in for it.

As two snowballs came flying at her, Regina barely avoided being pelted. Thanks to quick reflexes and magic she was spared. Each packing of snow met its demise and evaporated as the two elements crashed together, the fire victorious. Henry and Emma weren't deterred and Mulan took up arms as well. Giant snowballs in the hands of all three took flight. They were lucky Regina's quick defense against the horseplay didn't set the entire block of storefronts ablaze.

"Aww, Mom, come on." Henry said as the final of the three snowballs was zapped.

The look back at the group was without words but still sent the message to leave her out of it. Regina then caught sight of Emma laying a hand on Henry's shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was an attempt to avoid a fight or an act of kindness but ether way it spared Regina from saying anything else that would make Henry more disappointed in her.

After knocking on the door without answer, it was clear Belle had yet to return. Emma removed two small metal bars from inside her jacket and made quick work of the lock. Their son was immediately taken with Emma's skill set, which he was told would never be something he would be taught. The pouting might have been permanent had they not had a more important mission to focus on.

The combination of the antiquated card catalog Henry insisted on using and some magic made quick time of the hunt for the fairytale they were seeking. It was among volumes of tales Regina wasn't familiar with. Sitting between what looked to be a story of a group of mystery solving mice and a tale of a far, far away land that after a quick glance Regina hoped never to experience visitors from was the book they sought.

The copy of the Snow Queen was beautifully bound in royal blue with silver lettering and Henry was assigned to search the pages cover to cover for potential clues to what they might be facing. With Mulan as his chaperone Henry went back to Snow and Charming's to read the book. In the meantime Regina, who was giving Emma the silent treatment, noticed the book she had left behind the night before sitting on a table at the far side of the library.

"I will be right back," Regina said as she moved to pick up the book from the table.

"What do you mean right back? I don't think it's smart for us to separate in case another storm kicks up."

"I'm not going for a walk. I'm going to transport to my crypt, to return this, and come right back."

"Still I think we should stick together."

Exasperated, Regina crossed the room, grabbed Emma's forearm, and before the blonde could insist anymore the two of them were standing in the crypt. Warmth from where Regina's hand touched Emma's jacket shot though her and Regina let go. "Happy."

Emma reached for the archway; her body fighting the dizzy feeling Regina knew was coming over her. It served the meddling blonde right for being so damn stubborn. From her reaction to the transport Regina knew they would need to give Emma a little time before they went back to the library. Another trip so soon and Emma would be unable to help for the remainder of the day and even though Regina wanted the blonde out of her sight she needed Emma to retrace her steps. Perhaps checking out where the portal was might provide some more clues.

So you checked all of these?" Emma asked as she moved slowly through the crypt, taking a seat on a trunk. "Impressive."

"All but that one which is off limits even to me."

Emma stood to walk towards where Regina was pointing. She didn't make it very far before dizziness put her back down again. "It might have the answers we need."

"It might. It also might turn me back into a revengeful monster, Ms. Swan. Since you are on the top on my list right now it would be best not to tempt fate."

Surprisingly, Emma changed the subject. "Shouldn't we head back and wait for Mulan?"

"Your system isn't as acclimated to teleportation as mine is. You won't be able to stand up the rest of the day if we go again so soon."

'So teach me."

The laugh escaped Regina before she was even aware of it. "A lesson, now, while we are faced with figuring out an unexplainable blizzard? You are the last person on this planet I want to spend time with let alone have to speak to."

"Look, Regina, I understand you're mad at me."

"That, Ms. Swan, is the understatement of the year."

"I meant well."

"You meant to barrel in head first without giving any thought to how your actions would effect anyone else. What you did was foolish, dangerous, and might have gotten you killed?"

"If I didn't know any better I would think you cared."

"Don't mistake our son's happiness with concern for you or your pirate."

Emma stood and managed to move in Regina's direction without help. "Pretend all you want Regina but we've been through a lot and it wasn't all about Henry. So don't stand there and tell me that when you taught me before you were doing so for his benefit."

"That is, absolutely, why I wasted my time teaching you magic."

"You can't stay angry me."

"Oh, I can and I will."

"Regina, we both know what I did was honorable. Hell, it was something that had Henry been in my place he would have done. I never meant..."

"Why am I letting you go around and around about this again?

"Because you know I'm right."

Regina took a step closer to Emma and grabbed her. They were mere inches apart, emotions swirling, and eyes locked. In a heartbeat they were teleported back to the library.

As they touched down Emma swayed, the dizziness that had lifted returned. Regina had no choice but to catch her. They stood for just a moment longer than was comfortable before something snapped Regina back and she released her hold. Emma managed to stay standing.

Regina made her retreat to the door and opened it. "Enough. We will wait here, silently, for Mulan and then head to where you and Hook landed back from the past."

Holding on to the doorframe Regina was dizzy, although she feared not from the teleportation. The fresh air was defusing emotions Regina forbade herself from processing.


	7. Chapter 7

Reluctantly Forward 7

"Okay, that's a rush." Emma said as she swayed but managed to stay standing. "Let's not do that again anytime soon."

In the doorway, the cool crisp air calmed Regina's frustration over the blonde's incessant need to explain her actions. She ignored Emma's acknowledgement of the teleportation dizziness and got back on task, which was a better use of her time than going twelve rounds with Emma Swan. "Tell me everything that happened. Who you met, what you touched?"

Emma's movement was labored but she made it across the room, removed her jacket, and took a seat in a chair. "Everything is essentially the same way Hook and I left it."

" 'Essentially' is what worries me," Regina said turning back into the library and closing the door. "Things changed and change is bad when dealing in timelines."

"Well, sticking around there wasn't an option."

"Every person you interacted with had a new experience. Those may seem slight to you but even the tiniest ripple is cause for concern."

"We were careful."

"Indeed," Regina said sarcastically, since her definition of careful didn't include hitchhikers. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, we were sucked into some vortex in that barn on the edge of town. The second we landed we found we were in the woods and saw a village being terrorized by the," Emma paused for a moment. "The Evil Queen."

Regina attempted to ignore the shame she felt at the thought of Emma witnessing what she guessed was her well-documented brutality.

"But don't worry, Hook stopped me from stepping in to help."

"Had you tried I would have killed you without a second thought," Regina offered, coldly.

"She wasn't you," Emma replied with compassion in her tone.

"Oh, but she was me, Ms Swan. That was very much me."

"Not anymore."

"The woman you encountered was filled with blind, all-consuming, rage which when mixed with powerful dark magic is deadly."

"Well, we remained safety hidden from you until much later?"

"What do you mean by much later?"

"We met," Emma added as she slowly rose from her chair and, as casually as a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, moved to examine books on one of the shelves.

"What? When?"

"I kind of, accidentally, changed how my parents met so I needed to fix it and while doing that you turned up."

It was like cards toppling over in Wonderland. What Emma was describing could have ruined everything. No true love between Snow and Charming meant there was no Emma, and without Emma there would have been no Henry. Regina refused to consider the last part and instead cut the distance between them in half. "You might have destroyed everything."

"Yes. Which is why I set out to fix it."

"How?"

"I made sure my parents met at my father's engagement to Kathryn or Abigail, whomever she is, or was," Emma shared and then the guilty tone was back as she quickly rambled the final piece. "It only took some help from Gold to pull it off."

Every time Emma Swan opened her mouth, things got worse. Regina threw her hands out at her side. "You made a deal with the Dark One."

"We had to find Gold. He was the only person we knew of who had the knowledge and magic we required."

Regina moved closer to the blonde, fighting the urge to shake her. "What deal did you make with him?"

"There was no deal." Emma said confidently.

"There is always a deal."

"I convinced him that without me making things right with my parents there would be no savior and without the savior his manipulation of events would've been for nothing. He couldn't avoid helping once he knew, that I knew, he was looking for Neil. So Gold made it so Hook and I were able arrange my parent's meeting at the engagement party."

Regina tried not to let pride in Emma's bold, and very smart, move cloud her anger. She was failing as curiosity started to influence her questions. "How did you gain access? As servants?"

"With a royal invitation." Emma casually answered.

"Impossible. I was at that party and I wouldn't have forgotten you," Regina said unable to hold eye contact and so she quickly explained herself further as she took a few steps away. "The wealthy people of my land I took note of so I could use them to my advantage. How did I not recognize you when you returned Henry to me in Storybrooke? My memories were never erased."

"Gold saw to it we didn't further damage the timeline by placing a glamour on Hook and I so we could move in plain sight without detection amongst my father and his guests."

Regina turned back and stared at Emma like she was studying a painting. Memories of the engagement party, of Snow's eventual capture and subsequent escape, all flipped through Regina's mind. After a moment she had her an idea of whom Emma had been that night as there had been only one person who had seemingly interfered in Regina's quest to capture Snow White. "Princess Leia?"

Emma's eyes grew wide, "Yes, Exactly."

"I knew she was lying. There was no air of royalty about her, about you."

"Well, technically I was, am, royalty."

Regina's eyes rolled. "I placed you in my dungeon."

"Yes."

"You escaped?"

"Yes." Pride covered Emma Swan.

Regina needed to know. "Magic?"

"Ingenuity. The same kind that got us into this library."

"And Snow? Was it you that saved your mother as well?"

"No, I watched her burn or I thought I had." The pain was instantly visible on Emma's face.

Snow's escape had infuriated Regina at the time. The realization of how a different outcome would have erased everything Regina now cherished washed away the pangs of the defeat but in its place yet more shame of her past beliefs and actions formed. The conflict inside made Regina feel weak and vulnerable. Making matters worse, Emma Swan was witnessing it. "In your alteration of the past I very nearly killed your mother."

Emma moved to where Regina now stood. "I know, believe me, I know. I felt everything you are feeling now but in the end it worked out. My mother lived and my parents fell in love. I was born and met Neil. Henry came to be our son."

The compassion was a lot to bear but as fear started to replace it Regina pushed her emotions aside. "What then? How did you return?"

"Satisfied things were back in order, Gold double crossed us and locked Hook and I in his dark vault. He didn't count on me having magic and I managed to re-open the portal home."

"The dark vault. Could something have traveled back with you from there?"

"I don't see how something could have slipped through without notice."

"Unless Marion has powers she's not sharing with us, something else did. And if Gold had it locked up, it can't be good."

The door to the library opened and Mulan entered. "Henry is safe with Snow and feverishly reading the story. I asked around a little. No one at the diner has any knowledge of a Snow Queen."

"That doesn't mean Henry isn't onto something." Regina said relenting now that she had more of the story. "Perhaps this Queen was locked in, say, a dark vault."

The judgmental look in Swan's direction didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. "I'm telling you we didn't bring anything back."

"Show me where you returned to Storybrooke."

The trio made their way to the abandoned barn. Along the way Snow had called to inform Emma that Aurora had gone into labor. The news was met with sad joy from the warrior. Mulan's reaction didn't go unnoticed but thankfully, before questions could be asked, Regina had silently managed to spare Mulan an inquisition with a very pointed look in Emma's direction. A short while after they had reached their destination.

"This is the place." Emma said as she pointed.

The abandoned barn sat unremarkable and rundown. The path to it's entrance, like most of Stroybrooke, was covered with snow. Regina used her magic to very slowly send heat in the direction of the large drifts as to not destroy any possible evidence. As the snow melted a path to the barn materialized.

Once inside, the trio set out looking for clues. It didn't take Regina long to note the pattern on the barn floor. Pulling her cellphone from her jacket, Regina snapped some photos before venturing closer to the center of the room and the symbol etched in it.

Mulan approached from the side and pointed towards what looked to be cracked clay on the floor of the barn. "Could someone or something been in whatever that once was?"

Moving very carefully Regina reached the remnants of what might have been some kind of vessel. Trapping magical beings in bottles was not unheard of in their world. "Very possibly. It's seems you did bring back more than just the end of my relationship, Ms. Swan."

Emma moved from the back of the barn towards where the other two women stood. "I don't understand why you are so upset about Robin."

"Excuse me." Regina said, looking up from the floor and towards Emma.

"I don't understand."

"What is there to understand? You brought his wife back."

"Yes I did. I brought back the wife of some man that not only has you in knots but whom you trusted instantly. You don't trust people, Regina. It's not like you."

"Perhaps this discussion can wait until we figure out what that is?" Mulan said pointing to the symbol on the barn floor.

Regina dismissed the warrior with a look and then quickly turned back to defend herself from Emma's question. "It's called growth."

"You literary handed him your heart before fighting Zelena. That wasn't a Regina move."

"It helped save the town."

"Giving someone your heart might have given you the edge against your sister but giving it to Robin could have been yours and everyone else's undoing?"

"Who was I going to give it to Ms. Swan? Henry didn't know who I was."

"I'm going to let you two work this out." Mulan said as she made her way out of the barn, trying to escape the crossfire.

Emma made her way even closer to the center of the room. "Any number of people in this town could have been trusted."

A laugh escaped Regina's throat filling the barn with sound. "Any number of people in this town still want to see me dead for my past deeds."

"My mother. My father. Hell, I could have been trusted to protect it and yet you chose a thief."

"Awfully judgmental when you consider your mother shares a similar path as Robin and your pirate is hardly altruistic."

"I've read the tale, Regina. Rob the rich and give to the poor. Robin Hood could have sold you out to Zelena for any number of favors and all would have been lost."

"But he didn't."

"But Regina Mills would have considered that outcome and gone with another plan."

"Perhaps your mother's fondness for having hope rubbed off on me and I decided to take a chance."

"Or perhaps you were on a suicide mission."

The air in the barn went dead still. "How dare you?"

"Regina, you were upset about Henry. You learned you had a sister who was trouncing you in the magic department. You can't tell me it didn't affect you. I could see it did."

"This coming from the woman who is mooning over a man who was once in love with Gold's wife, a wife who was also Neal's mother."

"You can't compare the two."

"Oh, I can." Regina snapped.

"How long were you and Graham together?"

The fast change in questioning threw Regina. "What?"

"How long?"

"For me, a long time but for him no time at all. You might recall there was a curse."

"My point exactly. You had 28 years to start trusting people and yet you never once did."

"Revenge was my only goal until after the curse broke."

"And so, poof, now you instantly trust someone like Robin Hood?"

"Yes."

It was Emma's turn to laugh. "No."

"Why not?"

"You picked him hoping he would let you down."

"Excuse me."

"Regina, the missing year was gone for you so any connection from then regarding Robin was erased. You handed your heart to a virtual stranger."

"Walk a mile in my heels Miss Swan and you will see that loneliness has the power to motivate many strange decisions."

"And there it is. Finally. The truth reveals itself."

The trap had sprung and Regina had fallen into it. "You have no right to judge me."

"I'm not judging you, Regina. I'm being your friend. I've been where you are. Hell, during the last year I almost got engaged to a flying monkey. I'm just trying to make you see that maybe Marion's return will give you the time you need to figure out what Robin really means to you."

"So you can once again be the almighty savior of Storybrooke? Your guilt removed the second I realize my foolish choices? I refuse to give you the satisfaction. I'm finished here." And with that Regina transported herself back to her house leaving Mulan to finish dealing with Emma and the obvious arrival of something from the past that had buried Storybrooke in snow.

The knock at the front door had come some time later. Regina considered not answering it but felt if it were Henry or Mulan she was obligated to let them in.

Opening the door, Regina was relieved she found Mulan on the stoop and not Emma.

In the warrior's hand was a bag filled with pieces from the shattered vessel.

"Come in." Regina said as she moved out of the way.

Mulan did so. "Henry asked me to tell you to call him later so he can give you the details of the story."

"Of course." Regina replied as she closed the front door and gestured for Mulan to continue on.

The pair once again found their way into the sitting room where Regina took up her role as hostess, making them tea and starting a fire.

The room had stayed silent for quite a long time until Mulan finally spoke. "It was difficult for me to ignore your disagreement with Emma. I'm sorry if her observation upset you."

"She didn't upset me. She frustrates me. There is a difference."

"Regina, you showed me a kindness by letting me stay here and so I don't wish to overstep,"

"Then don't."

"You seem upset."

Regina instantly shifted into detached, neutrality, which was a skill she had honed over years of being her mother's daughter. "Well, I'm really not. Thank you for bringing me the pieces. Make yourself at home."

There was no time for fireplace chats about feelings. The town needed to be protected, work had to be done. So after returning her still full cup of tea to the kitchen, Regina retrieved the bag of broken clay. "I'm going to see if what you brought offers any clues." Regina gave a fake smile to Mulan, and disappeared in a plume of magic smoke.


End file.
